INDIA AND SCO

THE 10th anniversary meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Astana, Kazakhstan, will be remembered for two significant developments. One, it has smoothened the process for full-fledged membership to India and Pakistan. Two, Afghanistan has been granted the status of an observer. This will add to the weight of this key regional grouping, so far believed to be dominated by China. The elevation of Afghanistan’s status is a victory for Russian diplomacy as Moscow had been working hard for this to come about. The entry of India and Pakistan is interesting in the sense that the two major countries of South Asia will be in a forum which is poised to play a balancing role at the international level, with the world no longer being driven by the US alone, the sole surviving super power.
The SCO in its expanded form may focus more on Afghanistan and Pakistan so as to eliminate terrorism root and branch. There is great anxiety in the region that extremist and terrorist forces will find a fresh opportunity to strengthen their position once the US and allied forces leave Afghanistan with the various Taliban factions not allowing Kabul’s writ to run in many areas. The SCO can now prevent Pakistan from helping the friendly Taliban factions to increase their influence in Afghanistan as part of Islamabad’s old strategy of strategic depth. No foreign country should be allowed to meddle in the affairs of Afghanistan. The SCO can start advocating forcefully for a regional formula for establishing peace in Afghanistan.
India will now be in a better position to highlight the need for forcing Pakistan to destroy the infrastructure and plug the funding sources of terrorist networks in Pakistan. Terrorist and extremist forces remain well entrenched in Pakistan. The unending suicide bomb blasts provide proof of this ugly reality. These forces have their sympathizers in Pakistan’s armed forces and most government departments. One can imagine the scenario that may emerge once the extremists capture the levers of power in a nuclear-armed Pakistan. The SCO will have to play a more pro-active role for peace and stability in the region.